


Hawkmoth Sitters

by Deadling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-01-15 07:47:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18494524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadling/pseuds/Deadling
Summary: Ladybug had a plan, which mainly entailed putting as much difference between her civilian and alter egos as miraculously possible. Sometimes that meant showing up early--something Marinette could never seem to do. Maybe it's good that Mari shows up late, because when LB is early, disaster strikes.





	1. You tell me...Adrien.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my FIRST Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction so PLEASE, I beg you, don't kill me!

If you told Marinette that she would know who Chat Noir was, her partner of five years, the next day, she would have laughed and told you to keep dreaming. Because it really was just that, a dream. More of a recurring nightmare actually. The worry that they would be captured, forced to tell their identities, told to drop their transformation, or coaxed into saying their partner’s name was a constant worry that plagued the heroine's mind. But Paris had been anything but reliable these past few years. It was hard to be when Akumas appeared weekly to make the city a living war zone. That is until a certain cat and bug team dropped all of their responsibilities to go and derail a middle-aged man’s temper tantrum again. What were they? Hawkmoth-sitters?

Ladybug didn’t see much harm in arriving early to things when she could. Because the times when she could was a number close to zero. Being late was a perpetual part of Marinette’s life. It was something she rolled with—when she was ladybug it was quite literal—and she had gotten excellent at rattling off excuses. Granted, she didn’t feel good about it. Marinette hated lairs with passion and there she was making excuses for where she had been. It wasn’t like there was another option.

Ms. Bustier I regret to inform you that the reason I skipped the first thirty minutes of your class was that Hawkmoth threw my cat-themed superhero partner through a wall and it made my fighting moves sloppier from worry. 

Not going to happen. 

So Ladybug was early. She was a lot of things her civilian self wasn’t, yet another thing to distance when she was speckled with black spots. Any differences she could draw between the two of them meant another safety net around her loved ones. It was a conscious effort these past few years after Chat decided to guess her identity randomly after an Akuma very much like Reflekta. When her actual name was said, Ladybug and flushed crimson and decided not to comment. It was enough to know that her partner thought her civilian self worthy of being a hero. It was enough.

With precise, practiced movements, Ladybug’s yo-yo latched onto the chimney of a charming house and the slack tightened for her to soar. The air came fast against her face, cooling her heated cheeks instantaneously as she set off toward the Eiffel Tower. The marvelous structure was their predetermined spot to meet before patrol, something they only did on days where Hawkmoth hadn’t cursed a soul to live with guilt for daring to feel emotion. It calmed the citizens of Paris to know that the superheroes were always watching out for them. 

Ladybug let the spotted weapon return to her outstretched hand with a thud as she took off on the rooftops. The miraculous was truly a gift, because that jump and flip through the air over a gap between houses wouldn’t have been possible without it.

“Plagg,” a soft voice murmured. “Do you think she’ll love me?”

“Let me think,” a nasal tone responded, growing haughty. “Based on the past five years? I think she’ll protect you more than herself. Which means, lover boy, NOT loving you more than a friend.”

A groan. “You’re no help.”

“I’m a god I don’t need to help.”

“You need some help.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Okay, oh mystical one, how could I get her to love me back?”

“So you’re blind, oblivious, and deaf? How tragic.”

“Not fair. I know she can’t love me more than a friend now, but after Hawkmoth’s defeat...”

“Alright, kid. My advice is to be more like Camembert.”

“...What.”

“Mature a little, for crying out loud. Kid, you’re Chat NOIR. Stop moping, start acting.”

“I’m not moping.”

“You’re pining in the moonlight. Like a newborn kitten.”

“I’m waiting—”

“—for your crush while asking a god of destruction for help with love.”

“You’re right, how could I come to you for advice.”

“Now wait for just a mi—”

“Chat?”

Ladybug stepped out from behind the metal beam just in time to see a boy with blond hair reclining on his back freeze. A small black Kwami floated above him, ears twitching as their green eyes stared at the insect-themed superhero.

“Milady…?” The boy whispered, voice filled with raw panic. “You’re early.”

Ladybug swallowed. “I...am.”

“Did you see me?”

Even though her partner wasn’t facing her, she could tell who he was. It was easy to recognize the boy who sat in front of her for the past few years without magic messing with her perception.

“You tell me...Adrien.”

The blond boy sat up then, turning to face the Parisian superhero with a perturbed expression. He seemed horrified. LB was too. 

What would this mean for their partnership?


	2. Your Face Is Plastered Across Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Adrien have a not so serious talk about their identities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for such a positive response to my last chapter! I'm adding two chapters tonight so watch out! <3

“So,” Adrien started, “you know me.”

Ladybug nodded. “Your face is plastered across Paris, Kit—eh, uh.”

Adrien smiled. His model smile. Not his true one. “It’s fine, LB. I always liked when you called me kitty but don’t do it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Alright, Chatton,” the superhero acquiesced. She walked a few steps forward hesitantly, sitting a few feet in front of her partner with her knees pulled up to her chin. “This is not how I thought we’d reveal ourselves.”

Adrien perked up at that. “You were thinking about it?”

Ladybug furrowed her eyebrows. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh,” Adrien muttered, shrinking in on himself once more. “I just thought from you not wanting to do it now…”

The superheroine swallowed, shifting her gaze to look over the city in all of its sparkling splendor. “I mean, it’s nothing against you. You just...you realize you’re popular both in and out of the suit?”

Adrien nodded once, not quite following his Lady but letting her process the situation while she spoke seemed to be the best option.

“Right, well,” she wrung her hands, “people think you’re awesome whether you’re wearing black leather or not! Oh, um, that really--nevermind. The point is, outside of my costume, I’m practically nobody. What if you’re--”

“Disappointed?” Adrien quietly interjected. At LB’s nod, he continued. “I know I act differently in the suit, Milady. If you know me in real life, you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize me. There is no one you could be that I would be disappointed in. You’re still my partner, the one I’d trust my life with.”

Ladybug took a shuddering breath. “Alright, but I do, um, know you in real life.”

The spotted heroine took the few seconds of Adrien’s shock--jaw hanging ajar with his eyes blown wide--to curse herself for every stutter. What was that about putting a difference between her civilian self and LB? Was her whole plan just useless now?

Then again, he was her partner. Being a team was about balance and that meant she would tell him too. She trusted him with her life too. Now, it just meant her family’s lives as well. But if she considered her friends family, that was what Adrien was too.

Ladybug looked back up at his curious face, swallowing hard. “I...can’t yet.”

This would create a rift in their partnership undoubtedly, but it was just too soon. Marinette was studying for exams not worrying about her cat-themed super partner knowing her civilian form! 

Adrien’s shoulders dropped back and Plagg looked like he was about ready to hiss when Ladybug brought her hand up.

“But,” she murmured, “I didn’t say anything about you finding me.”

“Y-You…” Adrien trailed off, looking up at her as if she handed him a chest of gold. “You would be okay with that?”

“Yeah,” she said with a short laugh before hastily adding, “just don’t follow me home and you’ve got a deal.”

“Alright, deal!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH PLEASE DON'T HATE ME


	3. Rejected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette mulls over Adrien's rejection just over a year ago as a few new friends enter the frame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I wrote this chapter 75% out of spite for some people. But I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this!!

“How are you going to face him today, Marinette?”

The girl adjusted her purse, keeping her phone pressed firmly to her ear so that she wouldn’t look insane when talking to Tikki. The walk to the school was short, across the street in fact, and she doubted anyone would take notice but you could never be too careful. 

“I don’t know, Tikki,” Marinette murmured. “I haven’t really put much thought into our relationship being deeper than being an acquaintance after he rejected me.”

Last year, Alya had finally convinced the lovesick girl to confess to her long time crush. It hadn’t been anything special, just her finally admitting she sent him a love letter for valentines day and him politely turning her down. She wasn’t sure if he had read it but she knew about the mass amount of fangirls he had. It probably had just gotten lost in the pile.

“Mari!”

The girl spun to a car slowly creeping beside her on the street, beaming when she saw her friend.

“Kagami! I thought you had a fencing competition in New York today?”

“It’s tomorrow. My flight is today.” Kagami grinned, motioning her head toward the backpack beside her. “I just wanted to stop by and wish you good luck on your tests before going to the airport.”

“Thanks!” Mari chirped. “Good luck on your competition too!”

Kagami smiles once more, raising a hand in farewell before her car pulled away from the curb. 

Their friendship had been unique since the start, but Marinette could always count on Kagami for a word of encouragement or someone to rant to. 

Not long after Mari had confessed to Adrien, he had quit fencing. His schedule filled to the brim with modeling session and his messaging only remained consistent with Nino. Mari really hadn’t put any thought to the brief time she took up fencing to be with her crush but suddenly Chloé had approached her with the knowledge of that embarrassing fact. She decided to save face and join the club. Kagami had been there and they became fast friends. After all, she had only been turned down by the blond model a fortnight after Marinette.

“Tikki,” the bluenette started slowly, “do you think Adrien’s affections could be hero worship?”

Marinette had seen him reject hundreds of fangirls, it was commonplace when you were a famous model. She held absolutely nothing against him for reacting to her the same way. Sure, she knew him better than most, but in his eyes, it was startlingly easy to see why he would turn her down. But last night made one thing clear. He liked her in a skin-tight suit. He knew the same amount of information about Ladybug that Marinette knew about Adrien.

Her heart clenched and she took a deep breath before walking up the steps toward her normal friend group. Everyone in the class was incredibly close—being with the same people for years on end did that—but there were divisions as well. For example, no one knew what the frick Kim, Alix, and Max got up to but no one dared to question them.

“Clearly, you’re insane, Alya!”

Oh, not again. 

Mari’s best friend crossed her arms and sneered at the girl in front of her. “I am not! Ladynoir still is a real possibility.”

Lila, a not so recent transfer student, rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I don’t even like Ladybug and I can tell she’s not feeling anything toward the cat.”

Marinette froze on the top step, eyes darting back and forth as Alya showed Lila random clips from her phone of the superhero duos “obvious chemistry.” They both did not notice her. 

Nino, Alya’s boyfriend, did, however. He waved to her enthusiastically before mouthing, “help me.”

“No can do,” she mouthed back before gesturing grandly to a bag from her family’s patisserie. “Will this help?”

Nino’s jaw fell open before he nodded and shoved his way in between the feuding girl’s. They growled—like seriously—for a second before finally registering Marinette’s presence.

“Mari!” Lila cried, throwing her arms around her friend as Nino dove to save the precious bag of pastries that were dropped.

“Watch it, Vol!” The DJ said mournfully, gazing pitifully at the half crushed contents of the bag.

Lila laughed as Mari returned the hug. “I regret the Volpina thing you know. Somewhat.”

Marinette decided to move past it. “Alya, I brought you the green tea macarons you like.”

“This,” the reporter said with her signature point and phone tucked into her hand in Marinette’s direction, “is why I love you.”

“For the goods?” Nino questioned.

“For the goods.”

Lila released Mari to go look into the bag as the bluenette scrunched her nose distastefully. “I’m ignoring that comment.”

Nino nodded, mouth full of Religieuse. “It’d be better if you did.”

Mari hummed her agreement before frowning and looking around for a missing person. “Hey, where’s Adrien?”

Lila shrugged. “Coffee? He said he had a late night studying and ran to grab some before class started.”

“He’s not going to be able to eat his croissant,” Mari commented, standing on her tiptoes and glancing both ways down the street.

Nino sent her a questioning gaze. “The boy is an endless black hole. Have you seen how much Camembert he requests?”

Marinette glanced at her purse once more. If Tikki could eat a lot of cookies, a product of creation, she was willing to bet that Plagg could be responsible for the cheese. It was after all, not compatible with a Model’s diet and was the result of destruction. It fit, surprisingly. 

“Guys!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yes. I have fanfiction power. Fear me.


	4. Excused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short but here's *something* before my ap tests <3

The group of friends turned to the side where a bedraggled model was running at full speed, carrying two haphazard trays of coffee. 

Nino laughed and walked forward to help support his friend. “Dude, you have a few more minutes. Why are you running?”

Adrien took gasping breaths, putting his hands on his knees. “Time...to...distribute.”

Alya chuckled and walked forward, grabbing the trays and giving out the containers of coffee. “You’re in luck, Agreste. Your needless running saved you time for a Dupain-Cheng breakfast.”

The blond’s eyes lit up and he looked at Lila expectantly who was still holding the bag. She groaned and held it out to him to take. 

The bell rang, signaling the start of school, just as Adrien turned to Marinette. She swallowed and turned around.

There were too many things to work out before talking to him. After all, his schedule had gotten a lot more busy. She would have loved to be his friend, to be more than just a way for him to eat breakfast in the morning, but it that’s what she could do to help than it was alright. 

Marinette wasn’t ready for the two parts of her world to crash together. Her civilian self was normal. She entered contests, had coffee dates with her friends, and tripped over thin air. Ladybug was fearless, she didn’t question a single decision, and Adrien loved her.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to be honest. Mari was not aware of any other people he grew to like so she suspected it truly was Ladybug all this time. If Chat had the sheltered life she had come to know belonged to Adrien, no wonder he would fall in love with someone who kicked butt on a regular basis. Ladybug was freedom. She was strength. 

Marianette was a good friend. 

She really had no problem with being called that, it just felt like a lie now. They hadn’t spoken much, not even over instant messaging platforms, and they rarely hung out without the group. It was hard to keep up with his schedule and Mari had a life of her own to keep pace with. She hadn’t wanted to make it awkward after her confession. So, she simply excused herself.


	5. Hiatus

Hi guys! 

So, I mentioned having a lot of AP testing and stuff and that's all over now but I'm still INCREDIBLY BUSY. This isn't one of my favorite pieces and so I've decided to put it on pause for now. It's possible I'll come back to revist it but right now I'm working on a very long multi-chapter fic along with a few books--because I'm an author as my actual job. 

If this is, like, really outrageous to you, let me know you want this to continue in the comments and if 20+ people are deeply *saddened* by the hiatus I'll work on a few more chapters!

-Deadling <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Look for updates every few weeks <3


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